The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is pleased to release its newly revised Canine Vaccination Guidelines.

Experts and veterinary practitioners believe vaccination protocols should be individualized based on the patient’s risk factors, life stage, and lifestyle. The 2017 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines were developed to help further support veterinary teams as they determine these protocols for each of their patients.

Published in the September/October edition of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (JAAHA)—and for the first time, as an online educational resource for the veterinary medical profession—these revised guidelines offer important updates to the 2011 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines that will help practicing veterinarians meet patient and client needs in a complex infectious disease environment.

The new guidelines include the Lifestyle-Based Vaccine Calculator, an interactive tool designed to support the veterinary team’s vaccination recommendations based on risk factors and lifestyle; quick reference tables for client-owned and shelter-housed dogs; antibody testing algorithms; recommendations for overdue patients; rabies law and exemption resources; vaccine storage and handling information; immunotherapeutic product summaries; and an expansion of the “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

The guidelines also provide expert insight on several controversial issues, including frequency, dosing, scheduling, and duration of immunity for core and noncore vaccines; titer result interpretation; and adverse reaction identification and reporting.

AAHA guidelines review the latest information to help veterinary staff address central issues and perform essential tasks to improve the health of the pet. In 2016, AAHA brought the veterinary profession guidelines on oncology and end-of-life care. AAHA plans to release diabetes guidelines in 2018.

The 2017 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines were sponsored by an educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Merial, Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis. They are available online at aaha.org/caninevaccinationguidelines.

For more information about the American Animal Hospital Association, visit aaha.org.